Age of Legends

Chapter 265 Panic
Wang Shuowei was a little puzzled as to why Zhang Chen hadn't followed him in yet. He'd seen Zhang Chen outside the restaurant setting up the archway and moving flowers, but for a moment, he didn't suspect anything. If Zhang Chen had been working alone, he probably would have gone to help. But since Qin Yu had appeared next to Zhang Chen, and Wang Shuowei hadn't joined in, who knew if this was just a way for them to get to know each other better?

Looking at Zhang Chen's figure over there, Wang Shuowei felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Qin Yu then said to Ma Xinyu, "Oh right, come with me to move a few cases of beer. Zhang Chen, let him move the flowers here. Zhang Chen, a car will be delivering some audio equipment later, so wait here for a bit. They should be here soon, okay?"

After saying that, Qin Yu patted Ma Xinyu on the back and almost pulled him towards the air-conditioned room where they were. The two walked along the path under the artificial bamboo forest into the room. The air conditioning blew in their faces. Qin Yu found a place to sit down, picked up the tea he had brewed, crossed his legs and put them on the bamboo chair opposite him, and then reached out and grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the coffee table next to him to eat.

Ma Xinyu knew Qin Yu's character; frankly, Qin Yu was just trying to mess with that high school student. He felt bad about it, but what could he do? His classmates were used to hanging out with Qin Yu, and given his domineering nature, they often just let him have his way in public.

Several times when Qin Yu got into fights outside, it was always a verbal dispute between Qin Yu and others, and they still had to call on him to come to the rescue.

The women in the room knew Qin Yu's character, and when they saw them come in, Feng Feng said, "Hey, you just came in like that, leaving someone all alone outside. You adults are being a bit inappropriate!"

She had just been flattered and felt quite smug, but now that she was being "rational and objective," the women around her chimed in, "Yes, even though that kid is a bit simple-minded, you shouldn't treat him like this!"

"Oh, you guys are so mean!" Despite saying that, the woman still had a big smile on her face.

Qin Yu slowly turned her head and said, "What's wrong with it? This is to let him know the harshness of society in advance. It's a test for him. He can't even handle this? He'll have plenty of trouble to deal with later!"

This statement was ambiguous, and everyone knew that Qin Yu was subtly giving the other party a cold shoulder. To put it bluntly, regarding the possible relationship between that boy outside and Shen Nuoyi, Qin Yu was now representing Shen Nuoyi's family to make their stance clear.

This is actually one way. It avoids a complete breakdown in relations while still making it clear that you don't like him. The other person is an adult, after all, and should understand the implications. The best course of action is to make a choice that's good for both him and Shen Nuoyi.

Seeing Zhang Chen alone outside, after he finished moving the flowers and the delivery truck left, he sat on a large decorative bluestone at the entrance of the lawn, waiting for the next delivery truck that Qin Yu had mentioned.

"Shen Nuoyi and the others are on their way to the restaurant. They said they'd be in a few minutes. Hey, why isn't Zhang Chen coming in? I just saw him working outside, and they even praised him!" The students who arrived earlier in the restaurant chatted, then turned their attention back to the restaurant.

Wang Shuowei realized something was wrong and got up, saying, "I'm going out to find him!"

After getting up from the lounge area in the restaurant, Wang Shuowei walked through the guest seating area to the area near the entrance. There was a concrete wall that blocked his view. However, when he reached the restaurant's foyer, the concrete wall was now covered with floor-to-ceiling windows, opening up his view. He saw that the stone table where Zhang Chen had been sitting alone was now occupied by another person standing in front of him.

He was a man in his thirties, wearing a blue shirt and dress pants, and bespectacled.

Yin Xiaoguan stood in front of Zhang Chen. Not far from him were several middle-aged men, some with large bellies, some dressed smartly and capablely, and some carrying leather bags with an air of sophistication. They were clearly dressed as successful people, but their faces showed that they had been through a lot.

While everyone was shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, their eyes darted towards the young man who had just walked alongside Yin Xiaoguan and the others towards the private room. Suddenly, Yin Xiaoguan announced, "President Liu, President Wang, President Zhao, please go into the private room first. I'll go say hello!" He then left them behind and went to the young man.

It's obvious that those investment promoters that Yin Xiaoguan received today were probably all wondering about his family background.

Zhang Chen looked up at the smiling Yin Xiaoguan, and seeing the expression on the other's face that seemed to be looking at a down-on-his-luck young man, Zhang Chen shrugged helplessly, "Aren't you in charge of hospitality?"

"Aren't you also attending a classmate's birthday party? What are you doing here? Go inside. Oh, a female classmate?" "I'm just being told to wait for the goods, what, can't I be criticized sometimes?" Actually, Zhang Chen could see through Qin Tangxi's second uncle's intentions. Although he understood and felt somewhat annoyed, Zhang Chen didn't intend to do anything. With anyone else, Zhang Chen might have retaliated long ago. For example, when Qin Yu first started arranging things for him, or when he just met Yin Xiaoguan, he could have directly greeted him. Facing someone like Qin Yu, Zhang Chen naturally knew how to make the other person develop a psychological aversion to him.

Even knowing this, Zhang Chen was still unwilling to do so. More or less out of consideration for Shen Nuo, he still wanted to save face for her.

Therefore, he didn't immediately make further eye contact with Yin Xiaoguan to greet him. Yin Xiaoguan, having already discerned Zhang Chen's character from his expression, didn't acknowledge him either.

But now, seeing Zhang Chen standing alone at the door in a daze, Yin Xiaoguan, realizing something was amiss, naturally couldn't play house with Zhang Chen like she had at the beginning.

“Sometimes I just don’t understand. Your dad and Mayor Xi have such a good relationship, they used to be bunkmates, and your dad is so capable, yet when things were most difficult, he didn’t go to Mayor Xi. Mayor Xi had to come to your dad for help. You’re the same way. What kind of genetics does your family have?” Yin Xiaoguan was very puzzled.

"Do you want to hear the truth or the polite words? The polite words are that my dad believes in ability and doesn't want to pull strings. The truth is that Mayor Xi and his old classmate used to copy his homework, but now that they see how high he's climbed, they can't bring themselves to go to someone else."

Yin Xiaoguan: "Hey! So what's the situation now? You like a girl, but you've run into an obstacle?"

"That's roughly it," Zhang Chen said with a wry smile.

"Do you need my help? What do you want me to do?" Yin Xiaoguan asked seriously.

"You go ahead and do your work, Secretary Yin. Don't cause trouble, I'll handle it myself," Zhang Chen quickly waved his hand.

“Just like your dad. I was there when your dad was doing the technical verification with the Koreans, representing our side. The Koreans said your dad's sample didn't pass, and I was so scared my hands and feet went numb. But your dad turned around and pointed out that their testing machine was malfunctioning, which was later confirmed. I was on a rollercoaster ride with your dad, and Mayor Xi even risked his political future! Now you're telling me not to make things worse? It's too late!” Yin Xiaoguan said coldly.

Just then, a van pulled up in front of them. The driver leaned out and said, "Are you here to retrieve the equipment? It's behind my van. Could you lend a hand? It's a bit heavy, so I'll lift it down. Please hold it steady!"

Zhang Chen then turned to Yin Xiaoguan and said, "Secretary Yin, you're busy. I'm just waiting for this delivery."

"You won't even call me Brother Yin!" Yin Xiaoguan rolled his eyes at him, then rolled up his sleeves and went to the back seat of the van. The driver had already gotten into the back and started unloading the equipment.

Yin Xiaoguan shouldered the large speaker and turned to Zhang Chen, "Come on, let me lend you a hand. Are you just standing there watching the show?"

Zhang Chen paused for a moment before coming up to connect with the speaker along with the delivery driver in the back and Yin Xiaoguan.

Suddenly, the door to the room over there slammed open, and Qin Yu, Feng Feng and his wife, along with several men and women, came out and hurried towards the front door.

The expression on his face was ashen, with a hint of panicked shock.

(End of this chapter)